In August–October 2016 archaeological excavations were conducted in Bassetki by the Institute for Ancient Near Eastern Studies team from the University of Tübingen and Hasan Qasim from the Directorate of Antiquities in Dohuk.[1][2] They revealed a large Bronze Age city established in c. 3000 BC which flourished for more than 1,200 years.[1] From c. 2700 BC the city had a wall protecting the upper part of the city from invaders.[1] The city had an extensive road network, several residential districts and a palatial building.[1] A contemporary cemetery was located outside the city.[1] The city was connected to other regions of Mesopotamia and Anatolia by an overland roadway dating from c. 1800 BC.[1] The archeologists also discovered settlement layers dating from the Akkadian Empire,[1] which also encompassed the territory of modern Iraq. The finds were announced by the University of Tübingen on 3 November 2016.[3]

In the summer of 2017, archaeologists from the University of Tübingen in Germany uncovered a collection of 3,200 year old Assyriancuneiform tablets hidden inside a collection of ceramic jugs. These tablets reveal the location of the ancient lost royal city of Mardaman that once stood where Bassetki lies today. The tablets date back to c. 1250 BC when the area was part of the Middle Assyrian Empire. [4]